The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1887-05-12

should find that the queen no longer
desired the marriage. it would ruin all
the prospects OF my future life. III
am to wait, must have some certain.
assurances to 60 upon" Nearly thir-
ty years later, in her life of Prince Al
bert, the queen says: 'The queen
cannot think without indignation
against herself of her wish to Keep the
prince waiting three or four years."
Two years after the accession Prince
Albert came to England with the in.
tention of telling her that if she could
not then make up her mind he could
no longer wait for a decision." What
this little German petty Prince would
have done if the queen had declined to
make up her mind does not appear.
But great pressure was brought to
bear upon her majesty: If she Rad
died childless the duke OF cumberland,
a wretch stained with every crime and
monstrously unpopular, would have
succeeded: We may be sure that Lord
Melbourne advised her that delay was
dangerous: He said: ''You will be
much. more comfortable; a woman can
not stand alone" On October 18th
the queen sent d message to Albert
that she desired to see him in her
room: He thus describes the scene in
a letter to his grandmother: "The
queen sent for mo alone to
her room and declared to me
in a genuine outburst OF love and af-
lection that l had gained her whole
heart and would make her intensely
happy if I would make her the sacri.
flee OF sharing my life with her: The
joyous openness of manner in which
she told me this quite enchanted me
and | was carried away by it," No
doubt.
Next month she summoned her pri-
Wy council and informed them OF her
intention to ally herself in marriage
with Prince Albert. She read her dec
laration, and l felt" says she, "that
my hands shook, but I did not make
one single mistake" When parliament
met in january, 1910, she repeated
her declaration to them with perfect
composure, and asked for grant of
$25O,000 a year for the prince. Par
Lament gave him $15O,OOO.
The marriage was a happy one from
the start to the end. Husband and
wife were wrapped UP in each other
and in their children. For the first
year or two Prince Albert was not
present at the meetings between the
queen and her ministers; but after
wards he was always expected at the
council tables. But their happiest
times were when they were playing to-
gether-both were accomplished mu-
sicians; Or etching portraits OF their
children; or singing under the leader
ship Of Lablache. Albert laid down
for himself two rules, in order to 81
lence scandal, which had been 80 rife
under previous reigns, and likewise to
obviate jealousy ON the part of his
wife-he would pay no visits and would
go nowhere unattended by an equerry.
This was his rule through life, and it
accomplished his object. No breath
OF scandal ever furnished his reputa-
ton.
Twenty years ago the queen pub
lished a volume containing her diary
during her journey to Scotland, and
fifteen years later this was followed
by a second volume on the same sub
iect. coming down to 1882. The
books are interesting because they
constitute a forty years diary writ ten
by q queen regnant. Tie thoughts
are trivial, the observations trite, the
style uncultured; they reflect the
mind OF a commonplace, honest. kind
ly woman, who might have been as
much at home as the wife OF q retail
/ grocer as the queen of England and
empress OF India. Thus she tells us:
81 ate some oatmeal porridge for
breakfast and found it very NICE" IL
saw a woman in tie river with her
dress tucked up almost to her knees,
washing potatoes" Dundee is q very
large place; the situation OF the town
is very fine, but the town itself is not
so" albert observed that it was al
ways said that parents lived their
lives over again in their children,
which is very pleasant feeling"
with hundreds of equally striking
and profound remarks. Still it is
pleasant to read a queens remark
that ''during the voyage WAS always
able to give Vicky (the present crown
princess of Germany her lessons, -
and 81 always try, when possible, to
hear the children say their prayers my
self" On the occasion OF the death OF
the duke OF Wellington the queen rises
above her usual level in few noble
sentences expressing her loss. And
the account Of the betrothal of the
Princess Victoria is so neat that we
must quote it: "Prince Frederick
William of Prussia had already spo-
ken to us of his wishes with regard to
our dear Victoria, but we were uncer-
tain, on account of her extreme youth,
whether he should speak to her him
self, Or wait till he came back again.
However, we..felt it better he should do
so; and during our ride this afternoon,
he picked q piece of white heather
the emblem ofgood luck-which he gave
to her, and this enabled him to wake
an allusion to his hopes and wishes
as they rode down the glen, which led
to the happy conclusion" Thereisn' t
much difference, when it comes to
wooing, between princes and cobblers.
The diary, read in connection with
other publications by the queen, shows
us two sides of her character. One Is
the good, kindly woman going around
with flannel petticoats for old women,
and passionately devoted to her chill
dren; the other is the monarch, keenly
attentive to public business. She is
interesting in both points OF view.
Perhaps the most pathetic passages
of the diary are those in which she de-
scribes the receipt of the news OF the
death of the prince imperial. Whether
Or no he was engaged to Princess
Beatrice, there can be no doubt that
the queen and her daughter were very
fond OF him. The news could not have
shocked them more had it been the
death OF one of their own family. 1t
reached the queen on the eve Of the
anniversary of her accession, but, as
she says, she had no heart for celebra.
tions. All gala was postponed. An.
other pleasant picture is the receipt Of
the news OF the battle of Tel Ell,
Nebir. The queen, Beatrice and
Louise, wife of the duke oil
Connaught, were staying at Balmoral